Two Lost Souls
by Moultipass1
Summary: Unable to cope with his son's death, Klaus turns off his humanity. Elijah and Rebekah try to make him turn it back on but face failure after failure. Fearing he's lost to them, they decide to enlist Caroline's help in a last desperate attempt. Their plan is put in jeopardy when a surprise awaits Elijah in Mystic Falls.
1. Prologue

**A/N: I usually wait until I have a few chapters ready before I start posting a new fic, but as this takes place after season 4 and I'm not sure how much the premiere is going to mess up my plot, I decided to publish it before it starts.**

**I have no intention of using whatever happens in season 5 of TVD or in The Originals, but it might change if some of their plotlines end up being useful to mine :)**

**Please forgive my mistakes, English is not my first language.**

**Rating: if you think I should continue this, there's gonna be loads of smutty goodness, so definitely M!**

* * *

**Prologue**

He watches helplessly as the tears roll down his brother's face. He can barely remember the last time he saw him like this. He's used to seeing Niklaus react in anger whenever things don't go his way, but this silent despair is something he hasn't seen in... In a thousand years. He has always known that in spite of his vehement denial, his brother's love for the baby was unconditional and stronger than anything he had ever felt before. He fears losing his son is going to break him. Just as the thought crosses his mind, he senses a shift in the air. He looks around, trying to figure out what just happened. The witches left hours ago after they failed to save the child, yet there seems to be something almost magical in the room. Dark. Powerful. Dangerous.

A feeling of unease slowly creeps its way into his heart and he frowns. Something feels very wrong and though he knows that both he and his brother are pretty much indestructible, he also knows that until he has recovered, Niklaus will be of no use should they have to fight. Deciding they have overstayed their welcome, Elijah turns back towards the hybrid to tell him they need to leave now, but what he sees leaves him speechless with shock and fear. Two feelings he does not deal well with.

While Niklaus was cradling the boy's body to his chest only seconds ago, silently rocking back and forth as he cried, his son is now resting on the filthy floor of the crypt, the gaping wound in his chest made even more sinister by the darkness surrounding him. Niklaus has risen from his kneeling position and he stands tall and proud. There are no traces of tears left on his cheeks and his eyes are completely dry... and empty. Elijah almost gasps as he finally realizes what this shift he sensed was.

He tries to analyze the implications, but as it has never happened before, he isn't sure even he is going to be able to foresee the consequences. The only thing he knows for sure is that both Humanity and the supernatural community are going to suffer deeply until he manages to find a solution to this unexpected disaster.

For for the first time in a thousand years, his brother has turned his humanity off.

* * *

"You know Marcel. He'll stop at nothing. He doesn't need Nik to hand him this opportunity on a silver platter. If he finds out..."

"He won't."

"Damn it Elijah! We've tried everything. You've been covering up his messes for weeks now, somewhat successfully, I'll admit, but you know you're bound to slip up eventually. If word gets out that Nik has turned it off, there will be hell to pay. His one and only redeeming quality has always been the fact that he cared, in spite of everything. If our allies find out he doesn't care about this town anymore, if they figure out he's not trying to free them, they'll turn their backs on him."

Elijah opens his mouth to reply, but before he can, the voice they both know so well rings out from behind them.

"And I'll kill every single one of them if it comes down to it. Relax, little sister. It's touching really, how worried you are about my safety. It must be exhausting though. I think you should turn it off too. You know, take the pain away."

Sensing what is coming, Rebekah stiffens and resorts to pleading, though she knows how useless it is, "Nik, don't."

"Why not? It's not like you don't know I'm right, deep down. The girl who loved too easily. And got hurt even more easily. I assure you, everything is much easier when you just don't feel," he taunts as he walks up to them, fixing Elijah with an impassive stare, wondering what plot his brother is devising this time to make him turn it back on.

Trying to convince Rebekah to turn off her humanity and join him in the land of careless fun has been his game for the past three weeks, but seeing his brother fail again and again in his attempts to make him feel something – _anything_ – is almost as entertaining as seeing the hurt in his sister's eyes every time he points out how useless and painful her whole existence is.

"Nik..."

He doesn't give her a chance to finish. He's had enough of her pleading and crying and trying to reason with him to last him for several lifetimes.

"If you'll both excuse me, there are dozens of tourists just waiting for me to show them how to have a good time in New Orleans."

With that, he flashes away, leaving them to stare after him. Rebekah pulls herself together. Seeing the brother she has always been the closest to despite their many disagreements act like this is hard on her, but she has managed to remain strong ever since her nephew's death, she isn't going to break now. Turning back to Elijah, she gives a frustrated sigh.

"Why doesn't he just leave? He doesn't care about this town or about overthrowing Marcel anymore. There's nothing left for him here."

"There's nothing left for him anywhere," Elijah points out.

Something seems to click into place at this and Rebekah's eyes light up with her newfound idea.

"That's not strictly true, is it?"

Her brother frowns, for once one step behind.

"What do you mean?"

"There is something – or should I say _someone_ – left for him. Back in Mystic Falls."

"The Forbes girl?" he asks with mild surprise. "We tried that route with Hayley, he didn't even care whether she lived or die," he says, reminding her of that day two weeks ago when he plunged his hand into Hayley's chest and told Niklaus he was going to tear out her heart unless he stopped him. The hybrid had just shrugged and left, and Elijah had let Hayley go.

"Of course it didn't work with the she-wolf, he never cared about her."

"Even if he did care for the vampire, I doubt an infatuation..."

"It's more than that."

Elijah's frown deepens as he studies her face. After a while, he gets that she's not going to say anymore unless he pushes her and he gives a small sigh as he relents.

"What do you mean?"

"You know how I always said Nik isn't capable of love? Well... I'm pretty sure I was wrong."

"You think that he's actually in love with her?" Elijah asks, understandably sceptical.

"I think that whatever it is he felt or didn't feel for her, she's our last hope."

Her brother considers this for a minute.

"Do you think the girl returns these hypothetical feelings?"

"I don't know, but it doesn't matter. She'll come either way. She's one of the good guys," Rebekah reminds him with a sneer. "She knows how disastrous Nik turning it off is. She knows we'll only be able to keep him from going too crazy for so long. He's killing people by the dozen, Elijah, and that's only because he hasn't gotten bored yet. It's going to get worse. If she thinks there's something she can do about it, she will."

"Then I do believe a trip to Mystic Falls is in order."

* * *

Still laughing at Jeremy's joke – and at the mere fact that he's _here_ – Elena gets up to open the door. When she sees who is standing on the other side, her lingering smile instantly falls from her face.

"Elijah," she breathes.

He's always been the Original she trusted the most – or should she say, mistrusted the less – but after over a year of radio silence, she thought she was done with this family. Seeing him here today is a shock, as their visits never bode well for the town and its inhabitants.

"Elena," he greets in his most velvety voice. "Please don't worry. I won't stay long and I'm not looking for trouble."

She raises a sceptical eyebrow but steps aside to let him in. He's already been invited in anyway, if he really wants to come in, nothing she does will keep him out. He thanks her with a courteous nod as she crosses her arms on her chest. Seeing who was at the door, Jeremy instantly gets up to stand in front of her protectively, glaring at the intruder.

"What do you want?"

"I was hoping I would find Miss Forbes here. She was not at home, and neither was the Sheriff." Elena and Jeremy exchange glances and Elijah immediately knows that something is not quite right. "I need to speak with her. It's important."

Elena seems to hesitate before she half-asks, half-states, "You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"We've... Err... We've always sort of assumed that Klaus was keeping tabs on her."

"I assume he is," Elijah confirms. "But my brother isn't exactly in a sharing mood, provided he does indeed know whatever it is you think I should know. What is it?"

Elena takes a deep breath. For some reason, she doesn't seem to be able to just blurt out whatever is on her mind. Instead, she asks, "Did you try entering the Forbes' house?"

"No. As I've never been invited in..."

"Yeah well. You would have been able to enter."

It takes him less than half a second to come to the only possible conclusion.

"Liz Forbes is dead."

"She was killed by Silas. Ever since he had played his mind tricks on Caroline and almost killed her mom, Caroline had been feeding her blood everyday so that if anything like that ever happened again, she'd die with vampire blood in her system. We're not sure what happened, we think Silas tricked Sheriff Forbes into thinking she had taken her blood that morning, only she hadn't. He killed her."

Taking in the information, Elijah nods solemnly.

"Where is Caroline now?"

"We don't know," Jeremy answers.

"How do you not know where your only remaining best friend is?" Elijah asks, his eyes on Elena.

"You have to understand. After Bonnie's death, and finding out that Silas had taken Stefan's place and dropped him God knows where, and breaking up with Tyler, and then her mom..."

"She's turned it off," Elijah realises after Elena has listed off every heartbreaking moment Caroline has had to endure in a few short months. "When?"

"About a month ago. She took off and no one's heard from her since."

Elijah's eyes narrow at this new piece of information. A month ago, Niklaus was still himself. If his feelings for the Forbes girl were really as strong as Rebekah seems to think they were, then Elijah doesn't believe for a second that he would have let her live her life in such a dangerous town without taking a few precautions. He must have kept an eye on her somehow – his best bet is compelled vampires – which means that he has to know what happened to her. But if he does, why didn't he do something? One thing he knows for sure is that her light is the first thing that attracted the original hybrid to the baby vampire. Knowing that she had turned her humanity off, he would have done something. Why didn't he? Something is missing here. Shaking his head, Elijah stores his questions away as the only person who would be able to answer them is not here right now.

"And you have no idea where she went?"

"None. Tyler tried to track her, he got as far as the airport, but after that her trail just vanished."

"So it's safe to assume that she has left the state, possibly the country."

"I guess."

He doesn't ask her if Caroline has ever dreamed of visiting one place in particular. It would be useless. The girl is not herself anymore. She can't be attached to any of her former dreams. Besides, she probably figured the places she's talked about with her friends are the first ones they'll search, which means she's going to avoid them if she doesn't want to be found. Finding her might be hard, but certainly not as hard as putting up with an emotionless Niklaus.

"I assume that given their diverging schedules and the fact that Caroline was attending university in Whitmore, she had to leave her blood somewhere, as her mother couldn't always drink directly from her," he ventures, the question clear in his raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, there were always a few bags of Caroline's blood stored away in their fridge."

"Are they still there?"

"No, we gave them to Meredith. We figured she could use them for her patients. Why?"

He doesn't bother answering. The hospital has just become his next stop on his search for Caroline Forbes.

* * *

Whoever invented locator spells, Elijah sends them a silent thank you along with one to Meredith Fell, who made this one possible with the blood she kept preciously. Honestly, he would have been able to find Caroline the old fashioned way, by investigating, looking for animal attacks, sending out her picture to his contacts all over the world, but magic does make things easier most of the time.

Watching the girl from a dark corner of the club she chose tonight, he ponders on how to proceed from here. He figures the easiest way would be to sneak up on her, break her neck and carry her out. The other dancers would think he was helping his drunken girlfriend, and if anyone got in his way, he could just compel them. However, he is reluctant. He knows things will be much easier in the next few days if the girl is helping him willingly, and he figures breaking her neck is not the best way to go about that. The problem is he has seen plenty of vampires with their humanity off, and bargaining with them is never easy as they don't care about anything. He could threaten to kill her if she doesn't do his bidding, but he suspects she is smart enough to realize that if he flew all the way over here to find her, it means she's his last hope and he cannot afford to destroy it.

There is one thing he could try. Not caring about anything means a terribly boring existence, hence the rampage she's gone on ever since she arrived in New York. Passing the time with sex and blood is pretty much all vampires who have turned it off have left. He can offer her some form of entertainment. New Orleans is a great playground for vampires, Marcel has made sure of that. Making up his mind, he walks up to her, ignoring the way her short black dress inches up her thighs with every move she makes. Placing a hand on her shoulder, he waits until she turns around to face him before he greets her with a smile.

"Miss Forbes."

"Elijah!" she exclaims in apparent pleased surprise. "How nice to see you. Though I'll admit I thought if any Original was going to find me, it wouldn't be you. Klaus sent you to do his dirty work?"

"Not exactly."

She fakes intrigue at that and he sighs inwardly. She's putting up a façade, it's obvious in the way her eyes remain empty in spite of her smile and raised eyebrows. Even though he just told her that's not the case, she probably thinks that his brother sent him here to talk some sense into her, and making him think that she's fine is the only solution she's found to get him to leave her alone as quickly as possible.

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I need your help," he states bluntly.

She gives a delighted laugh at that, and he notes she's a terrible actress. The Caroline Forbes he knows – granted, not that well, but still – would immediately ask what the problem is. This empty version of her former self is just revelling in the knowledge that one of the most powerful vampires in History has come to her for help.

"Right. Well, good luck with that. Your family made life a living hell in Mystic Falls. I don't see why I should help you."

"From what I gather, Niklaus and you were somewhat friendly when he left."

She shrugs and turns away from him to resume her dancing, clearly bored with the conversation. The man she was grinding against earlier instantly wraps his arms around her waist and Elijah idly thinks that he's glad his brother is not here to see this. Deciding that playing nice isn't getting him anywhere, he yanks on her arm and flashes them both out of the club, not caring about the humans who might see them. He's moving too fast for anyone to comprehend what's happening anyway, especially in the state they're all in. Once they're outside, he stops, releasing his grip on her wrist just as she starts struggling to get free. She stumbles backwards and he instinctively reaches out to steady her but she jumps out of the way, glaring at him for the stunt he just pulled.

"What the hell!"

"I hoped it wouldn't come down to this, but you will follow me back to New Orleans, even if I have to kill or compel you."

"I'm on vervain, dumbass."

"I know," he acknowledges, ignoring the insult. He smelled it on her breath the instant he was close enough. "I could bleed it out of you or just wait it out. Or you can come with me and avoid any unpleasantness."

She huffs at him, crosses her arms in front of her and raises her chin in challenge.

"Are you going to tell me why I'm being kidnapped?"

"Niklaus has turned off his humanity."

A smile creeps up her lips at that.

"What happened that the almighty Original Hybrid couldn't handle?"

"His son died."

This leaves her speechless, and Elijah holds back a smile as he thinks that all hope is not lost for her. Clearly she's not immune to surprise, and surprise is an emotion, however much she may dislike it.

"What do you want me to do about it?" she asks once she has recovered.

"What do you think?"

She thinks for a second. Her eyes suddenly widen as the realisation hits her and she shakes her head.

"I think you came to the wrong vampire. Maybe I would have been able to do something a month ago, but now..."

Elijah nods, glad that she's given up on pretending. She was terrible at it and it was a waste of time.

"On the contrary. I think seeing you like this is going to get to him."

"And if it doesn't?"

He gives her a smile, as pleasant as what he's about to say is threatening.

"I will compel you to turn it back on and see how long it takes until my brother starts feeling pity when the guilt of everything you've done over the past four weeks starts eating you up."

She freezes at the thought and fixes him with a murderous glare. She knows she's trapped. She knows there's nothing she can do about it. And more importantly – she doesn't really care. She's bored anyway, and while she dislikes the idea of helping anyone, it might make for a good distraction, at least for a while. Plus it would mean Elijah would owe her, and having one of the most powerful beings on the planet indebted to you can't be all bad. If she ends up deciding that she's had enough, she'll just run away. Katherine managed to escape the original family for five centuries, she'll just take a page out of her book.

She gives a resolute nod and Elijah smiles at her once again, motioning for her to follow him. The next few days are going to be interesting.

* * *

**TBC...**

**A/N: I'm trying my hand at something new here and I'm not sure I can handle it. I have absolutely no idea how to write an emotionless Caroline (or Klaus for that matter). Plus, the few times I tried writing smut, I've made a point of using it as a means to an end (usually emotional connection) but with this story, that's probably not what sex is going to be about. Not sure I'll manage to get it right. Not to mention I have some ideas for a few cool scenes but I don't know how to link them all together. So yeah... this story is basically a big challenge to myself. Please let me know if you think it's worth all the anguish I'm going to put myself through if I decide to continue this. **


	2. Chapter 1: Force Of Nature

**A/N: thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited, followed, and told me they were interested in reading more. I hope this does not disappoint. Please tell me what you think. Also, though I have most of the story mapped out, I'm open to suggestions, so if there's ****something (or someone) you'd like to see, please tell me and I'll see what I can do about it.**

* * *

**Chapter 1 – Force of Nature**

_Understand she's a force of nature_

_Contraband hiding deep inside her soul_

_Exercising her will to lose control_

_She lets go_

_A common man, he don't stand a chance, no_

_Wonderland pulling Alice in the hole_

_No way to save someone who won't take the rope_

_And just lets go_

* * *

"You lot like to live in style wherever you are, don't you?" is the first thing Caroline says when she sees the Original's home in New Orleans.

It's massive, but it's not like she expected anything less.

"I'm sure you can understand why we tend to need some space from one another every once in a while."

She nods. She definitely understands. She looks around for a while, taking in the giant building as well as the fountain and the garden that surround it and she raises an eyebrow as the immensity of what she's looking at sinks in. At least she's being kidnapped in style. Following Elijah through the front door, she wants to ask him what they're going to do now, but she notices that his brow is furrowed in concern and she decides to keep her mouth shut to see if he's going to tell her what's wrong or if he's going to keep her in the dark. After a couple of seconds, he takes his phone out of his pocket and brings it to his ear, but it obviously goes straight to voicemail, for his frown deepens.

"Rebekah isn't here and she's not answering her phone," he says as he puts his cell phone back in his pocket, motioning for her to follow him as he walks up a flight of stairs.

She falls in step beside him after adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder, figuring he's leading her to the room she's going to be staying in for an undetermined amount of time.

"Do you think something happened to her?"

"No. Most likely, Niklaus went out and she followed him to do some damage control. She must have turned off her phone so that he wouldn't hear her."

Caroline snorts in disdainful amusement at that and Elijah gives her a sideways look as they reach the top of the stairs.

"What's so amusing?" he inquires, pushing a door open and letting her precede him in.

She shrugs as she takes a quick look around the bedroom and throws her bag onto a comfy-looking chair. A month ago, the room would have impressed her, with its sheer size, its huge bed and tasteful decor. But since she had compelled herself the penthouse suite at the Four Seasons in New York, there's not much that can impress her as far as accommodations go these days.

Seeing that Elijah is still watching her quizzically, she explains, "If she thinks she can pull one over your brother, she's dumber than I thought. He probably noticed her the second she set foot outside the house, that is if he didn't know that she was going to follow him even before he left."

She thinks she can see an appreciative smile tug at the corner of his lips, but it's gone so fast that she can't be sure it was ever actually there. Not like she cares anyway, she doesn't need his approval.

"You seem to know my brother better than I imagined."

"I know what he's capable of," she says with a pointed look.

He nods in acknowledgement of her reminder that Klaus was her enemy for quite a while, which led to her being painfully aware of what he can and will do when threatened.

"Well, until they return, there is not much we can do, how about a tour?"

"How about you tell me what exactly you expect me to do when Klaus gets here? Who's to say he's not just going to kill me the second he sees me?"

"I don't think he will."

"Wow, I feel better already," she says sarcastically.

Elijah gives an elegant shrug. How does he do that? Turning away from him, she approaches the door she figures leads to a bathroom and pushes it open to find she was right. A quick look tells her that the amenities must have been updated since the originals' previous stay. According to what Elijah told her on the plane, they left New Orleans about a hundred years ago and their return does not seem to please everyone. He was a little shady on the details – just like Klaus was when he left Mystic Falls – but she figures she knows everything she needs to know for now. She's not curious enough to ask for more information.

"You know I cannot make any promises," Elijah admits, watching her as she walks back towards him. "Niklaus is unstable at best even with his humanity on. But frankly, I don't think he will care enough to want to kill you. He will have spent most of the night slaughtering people, he probably won't be that bloodthirsty."

Before she can ask more questions, a third voice nearly makes her jump out of her skin as it rings so close to her ear it's almost like he shouts, when he's really just whispering.

"I wouldn't bet on it."

She tries to take a step forward to put some distance between them, but Klaus' hand shoots out to wrap itself around her neck from behind and his fingers squeeze hard, his other arm coming around her stomach to crush her against him, her back to his chest. She swallows back her instinctive flight reaction and she goes limp in his arms, leaning against him, letting him be in complete control. If there's one thing she knows about him, it's how much he enjoys the chase and she doesn't doubt that it's even truer now, with his emotions off. He's a predator first. Struggling would only make this more fun for him. Besides, she can't deny the thrill that runs through her body at feeling him this close. Somewhere deep inside, she knows that her emotionless state is the only thing that's letting her enjoy this and that the old Caroline would not only be afraid, but also hate her for acknowledging the sharp pang of arousal when his scent, mixed with blood, hits her. It's just another reason why turning off her humanity is the best decision she has ever made.

"Klaus," she chokes, smiling in spite of his iron grip. "It's been a while."

"Indeed," he agrees, letting his fingers loosen just a fraction so as to let her speak freely. "How are you enjoying your newfound freedom?"

She doesn't think Elijah told him about her humanity switch, but she never really believed he had actually left her alone when he left Mystic Falls, she's always known that she wouldn't be able to do anything without him knowing about it. To be honest, it's the one thing she was afraid of when she decided to flip the switch. She knew he would know, and she was half afraid that he would find her and compel her to turn it back on.

"It's great," she answers honestly, because really, who would chose to lead a pain filled non-life in a sad and boring little town when you can just revel in the bloodlust and power of being a vampire? Why did she for so long?

Neither of them has acknowledged Elijah yet, even though they're both very much aware of his watchful eyes taking in their reunion with barely concealed curiosity and anticipation.

"I assume my brother brought you here to manipulate me into turning it back on."

"He did," she admits, ignoring Elijah's reproachful glare.

Really, what did he think was going to happen? He can't seriously have hoped that Klaus wouldn't immediately know what she's doing here. Subtlety is _not_ on their side, so why try and pretend when everybody knows what's really happening here?

"How did he convince you to come? Did he threaten to kill you?"

"Worse."

"He said he'd compel you to feel again if you didn't," he understands instantly.

"Yes."

"What if _I _did it? He wouldn't have anything to hold over your head then, you would leave to lick your wounds in private and I wouldn't have to deal with you."

She gives a sharp laugh at that and turns around to face him, taking a step back. Amazingly enough, he lets her. Only a month ago, she would have been appalled at the sight of his blood covered clothes. Today, all she wants to do is lick the remaining drops off his chin herself. She can almost taste it, can almost feel the harsh tickling of his stubble against her tongue. She briefly entertains the idea before shutting it down. There will be time for this later. Right now, she has to focus on bargaining for her freedom and possibly her life.

"Please," she huffs. "We both know that with my humanity on, I'd make it my mission to 'save' you."

It's true. Not only would she know it to be the right thing to do, she would need something to keep her mind off of everything she's done for the past few weeks.

"I could just kill you."

"Or you could let me stay here and we'd stay out of each other's hair. Or, you know, _enjoy_ each other," she adds with a seductive smile, walking up to him to invade his personal space.

The smirk he gives her at that is wolfish, there's no other way to describe it, bad pun be damned. He leans his head down, his lips only a breath away from her, his hands clasped casually behind his back. She waits for him to close the gap, but he doesn't. Instead, he says, "When I found out about your mother and about the consequences of her death, I nearly sought you out."

She's not put off by the apparent change of topic. She suspects she knows where this is going. And she instantly knows what he means. He wouldn't have come to her to _help_ her. She doesn't move an inch as she responds, "You wanted to take advantage of it. Of me."

"Yes," he says bluntly.

The one thing she stopped denying months ago is how attracted she is to him. With her emotions off, if he had sought her out, he could have had what he's always wanted from her, he knows it as well as she does. No conscience means no guilt, no inner turmoil or pesky questions about what her friends would think if she gave into him, no reason not to.

"Why didn't you?" she asks, letting her hand travel up his chest to settle at the nape of his neck, her nails lightly scratching the tender skin there.

He inhales sharply at the sensation, unclasping his hands from behind his back to rest them lightly on her waist, and he says, "You know why."

She nods in acknowledgement, letting her hair tickle his cheek. She does know. No matter what her friends think, no matter how much of a monster he really is, he did have a conscience, and he did feel something for her. He never would have taken advantage of her while she was not completely herself. He knew he'd lose any chance with her after that.

But now... Well, now, he's just as conscienceless as she is. Whatever was between them before is gone, the animosity, the budding friendship, the betrayals, the feelings they both tried to fight down, the grudging respect... Their entire history hasn't magically vanished, but it just doesn't matter anymore, because they're not who they used to be.

There's only one thing left.

Lust.

It's thick in the air, making it almost hard to breathe. The old Caroline would be embarrassed at how much she wants him and she wouldn't have let her eyes settle on his lips the way they just did – in front of his brother, no less. And she certainly wouldn't revel in the dark stare he's giving her in return. But she's not that girl anymore. When she wants something, she takes it. She can almost read everything he's planning to do to her in his eyes, every touch, every move, every lick of his tongue, every rough thrust – because there's no doubt in her mind that this is going to be hard and fast. Animalistic. Which makes sense, since that's sort of what they've been reduced to, or rather what they've reduced themselves to. She's going to enjoy every second of it. But... Not right now. Because right now, she has to put the plan she thought of while she was pressed up against him in motion.

It takes every ounce of her willpower not to just jump him right here and now, but she manages to refrain. Abruptly breaking their staring contest as well as their embrace, she turns to Elijah and unexpectedly announces, "I'm hungry. I'm going to hunt."

She darts off at vampire speed before either brother has a chance to react. Elijah is stunned at first, but then a small smile spreads out on his lips as he sees Niklaus staring at the empty space where Caroline was standing only seconds ago. The hybrid turns to his brother, his eyes narrowing when he notices his satisfied expression.

"Do not mistake what I'm about to do for a human behaviour," he warns before flashing off after Caroline.

Elijah lets out a chuckle, shaking his head in amazement. Hearing angry footsteps nearing the front door, he leaves the room, closing the door behind him, and he goes to one of the downstairs studies where he pours two glasses of scotch. Before long, Rebekah is by his side and she takes one of the glasses from him to down it in one long gulp.

"You're back. I lost Nik," she confesses uselessly. When he doesn't react, she frowns, taking a good look at him and obviously noticing his relaxed stance. "What's got you in such a chipper mood?"

He takes a sip of his drink and smiles.

"I think we made the right decision in enlisting Miss Forbes' help."

"We did? Where is she?"

"She went out to feed."

"What?! The whole idea was to get Nik to calm down and now _she's_ going to wreck havoc on New Orleans too? How is that cause for celebration?"

"You don't get it, Rebekah. She's smarter than I thought."

"Yeah, well, she can't be any dumber than I think she is," Rebekah grumbles. Before he has a chance to chastise her for her pettiness, she comes back to the matter at hand. "What happened?"

"Niklaus followed her."

"He was here?"

"Briefly. He threatened her, she set about seducing him, and then she took off. He left about three seconds after her."

He watches his sister in silence as she processes what he just told her, and he can clearly see the dots connecting in her mind.

"She's playing with him," she whispers at last, stunned. "Using his wolf side against him. She's taken on the role of the prey. He had no choice but to chase after her."

Elijah nods as Rebekah pours herself another drink and downs it as quickly as the first one, trying to get over her shock. In a matter of minutes, the emotionless little tart has succeeded where her and her brother have been failing for weeks. Caroline hasn't won this game yet, not by a long shot, since a werewolf's most basic instincts are about as far from human emotions as they can possibly be, but she managed to get Nik's attention. She _engaged_ him. And that alone is a feat worth mentioning.

"Let's hope she knows when to stop this game and surrender, because we both know that once he gets tired of it, he'll kill her."

"In the meantime, he will be too busy playing her game to cause any more damages," Elijah points out, choosing to see the glass half full.

"Are you sure about that? I mean, two vampires with their humanity off... I don't really see how it's better than one."

"She knows why she's here. She knows she needs to keep the killing to a minimum if she doesn't want me to follow through on my threats. She'll keep him occupied. Not to mention, with a new vampire in town, we can blame all further murders on her. It will make it easier to pretend that Niklaus isn't out of control."

"Don't you think you're overestimating her?"

"Not anymore," Elijah answers truthfully.

Granted, he was somewhat skeptical when Rebekah brought up the baby vampire, but now that he's seen her around his brother, his confidence has been restored. Her approach is daring, and though it could very well backfire, he has to admire how she thought of a plan so quickly when put on the spot as well as the way she handled Niklaus. Not only did she get his brother to do her bidding, in however small a way, she surprised _him_. Something that is not easily accomplished. It seems Caroline Forbes is a force to be reckoned with.

* * *

"You know exactly how hot you look right now, don't you?"

Releasing the now lifeless body and letting it fall to the ground carelessly, Caroline turns around to face Klaus, her vampire features receding. He's been lurking in the shadows for the past few minutes, watching her as she fed on the young man she had snatched from a random bar. Though she neither saw nor heard him until he made his presence known, she knew he was here – of course she did. Wasn't it the whole point of this little expedition? To get him to follow her, to play the little blonde distraction once more. But she wasn't prepared for the liquid heat that seems to flow through her veins at his husky voice and dilated pupils. Wasn't prepared for the almost painful clenching between her legs. Wasn't prepared for this full-on assault on her senses. His scent, his voice, his warmth... It's like she's taking it all in in a single second, embracing it, feeling the kind of magnetic pull that she could bet only happens once in a lifetime. It leaves her aching for his touch.

Ever since she flipped the switch, there are only two things she's been able to feel to their full extent. The infamous bloodlust and physical desire. She's had plenty of time to indulge in both, but it's never been like this, never been so basic, so _instinctual_. She knows exactly why. It's him. Those eyes, those lips, those dimples, the lean torso and smooth back she caught herself staring at one too many times when she was helping him that day Silas got inside his head, the damn accent, the power he's exuding... She's having a hard time remembering a time when she was not attracted to him. She's honestly wondering if there was ever such a time. Months of pent-up sexual tension are about to explode, and there's nothing she can or wants to do about it, it's as simple as that. Her plan was to keep teasing him for a while. She knows that it would be the smart thing to do as it would keep him distracted and maybe even call to some deeply buried shred of humanity in him, be it his most playful side or his frustration. But she's not going to be able to follow through on her plan. Screw Elijah and his threats. She doesn't care if she's about to ruin her best chance at succeeding in her mission, she _needs_ to feel Klaus' body against hers. Needs to know what it feels like to have him between her legs, to let her fingers rake over his back, nails digging into his skin hard enough to draw blood, to surrender to this sinful mouth and hopefully very talented hands.

Her decision made, she smirks, walking up to him while running the back of her hand over her mouth to get rid of the remaining blood there.

"I do. And I do hope you intend to show me exactly how hot you think I am."

His answering grin as her arms slide around his neck and her upper body rubs delightfully against his makes her think that the foreplay is going to be almost nonexistent, but she soon finds out how wrong she is.

Right as she's about to kiss him, he pushes her up against the nearest wall abruptly, his fingers closing around her throat. His left hand burns a path down her side before it settles on her hip, his thumb brushing against the patch of skin between her jeans and black tank top, and she's transported back to that day Silas almost killed her mother, when he used Klaus' appearance to try and get information out of her. Somewhere in a forgotten corner of her mind, she knows she should be terrified, or at the very least mildly concerned, yet the only thing she feels as his skin comes into contact with hers is physical relief. This is nowhere near what she really wants to be doing with him standing within touching distance, but she'll take what she can get for now.

"Let me make one thing clear," he growls into her ear, his voice low with menace. "I know that you are going to get your emotions back eventually, whether it be by your own initiative or because my dear siblings will see it as their last chance to get to me. Once you do, don't even try to drag me down with you, or I will kill you."

He retreats back after that, only a little, letting her see he means it. She doesn't care what the future has in store for her – for them – and she can't imagine a day when anything will matter even half as much to her as her arousal does right now. So she nods eagerly, not because she's afraid for her life, but because she wants to get this over with so that they can get to the good parts.

"You have a deal."

When she tries to lean forward to press her lips to his, he tightens his grip on her neck and she winces in pain, letting her head fall back against the brick wall behind her, knowing that he won't relent until he has said all he needs to say.

"Until then, you are not to play me again like you just did, or you will come to regret it."

"No more playing then," she manages to get out, grinding her hips against him to show him just how serious she is.

It's like something snaps in him at that – finally! – and his lower body pushes hers back against the wall almost violently. Her right leg instinctively wraps itself around him, her heel digging into the back of his thigh, and his hand travels along her thigh, hooking behind her knee to keep her in place. His fingers release their iron grip on her neck and she doesn't waste any time in stealing the kiss she's been dying for ever since she heard his voice again. His lips are instantly bruising against hers as they each fight for control of the searing kiss. His tongue invades her mouth before she pushes it back with her own, drawing a low groan from him as his left hand settles on her lower back and pulls her to him so that only her shoulders and the back of her head are now in contact with the wall. His right hand travels down her leg to wrap it around his waist as well, his firm grip the only thing keeping her from falling as he grinds into her over and over again, making her silently curse their layers of clothing. This gives him more control than she's comfortable with, so she grabs a handful of his hair and pulls his head back, breaking the kiss to attack his throat instead. When her mouth reaches a spot below his chin that makes his hips give an involuntary jerk forward, she settles there, attaching her lips to his skin and sucking _hard_.

"Caroline," he groans, throwing his head back of his own accord to give her better access.

Rejoicing in his surrender – however temporary it may be – she decides to push her luck. Giving a wicked grin against him, she lets her blunt teeth scrape his skin. His reaction is immediate. His fingers tangle in her hair, keeping her in place, while his other hand traces a path up her body to slide underneath her top and rest on her breast. She can't help but let out a moan of her own at the sensation of his fingers caressing her through the lace of her bra and she can almost _hear_ his smirk as he regains the upper hand in their deliciously twisted battle. She retaliates by switching sides and tasting his skin again, lips firmly glued to his neck, right where it meets his jaw. His stubble feels raw against her tongue while his skin is soft beneath her fingertips and it seems she can't get enough of this addicting combination, a new jolt of arousal shooting right down to her core with every new lick, every new sound she manages to pull from him.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

Caroline tears her mouth away from Klaus at the unexpected voice, not bothering to push him away from her as his hands keep exploring her body. He doesn't seem the slightest bit put off by the fact that they now have company. It's not like she minds either, but she wants to see the guy for herself in order to figure out if he's a threat. Granted, given the fact that she's currently with the most powerful creature on earth, no one could really be considered a threat, she reminds herself, giving the attractive black man a quick onceover before deciding that he doesn't matter. Just as she's about to completely ignore him and go back to more pleasurable activities however, he speaks again, the recognition and amusement in his voice giving her pause.

"Klaus Mikaelson. I always thought you had more self-control than that."

Alarm bells ring out in her head at that and she catches Klaus' wrist to get him to stop what he's doing. She ignores his silence protest as she takes a second look at the vampire who just interrupted them. She doesn't know him, but he obviously knows Klaus, and that can't be good, she realizes somewhere in the middle of her turned on fog. Elijah didn't really give her any details, but he did tell her that there are a number of people in New Orleans who would be very displeased with the news that the Original Hybrid is now completely emotionless, and she can't be sure whether this guy is an enemy who will try and take advantage of it or an ally who will turn his back on Klaus and his family once he learns the truth. Either way, she needs to get Klaus out of here before he does something stupid, like betraying this secret.

"I'm not interested in a threesome," she says, throwing a bored look at the intruder before turning her attention back to the hybrid and untangling her legs from him to rest her feet safely on the ground. "Why don't we take this back to your place?"

"Go ahead. I'll be with you in a minute."

She hesitates. Leaving him alone with this friend-or-foe guy doesn't seem like a good idea, but she can't think of a good reason to stay. If she tells him that she'd rather wait for him, he's bound to figure out that she's trying to keep an eye on him, and he won't like that.

"I might not be in the mood anymore in a minute," she tries.

"Oh, I have no doubt I will be able to get you back in the mood, sweetheart."

Yeah, she doesn't doubt it either, if the shiver that runs down her spine at his heated promise is any indication.

She really wants to leave on this note and just wait for him in her room so that they can finish what they started as quickly as possible, but Elijah's words are still fresh in her mind. She really, _really_ doesn't want her emotions back, and she thinks the older original will probably make good on his threats if she lets Klaus mess things up just because she couldn't distract him long enough.

So she crosses her arms in front of her and asks defiantly, "Who's that guy and why is he more important than what we were about to do?"

"I like her," the newcomer has the nerve to say, his grin wide and teasing. "Marcel, at your service."

He actually bows and she's about to scoff at him when an idea takes form in her mind. She knows from experience how territorial wolves can be, and though she's sure Klaus doesn't see her as _his_, it couldn't hurt to try and see his reaction if she gets a bit too friendly with this Marcel guy. Unfortunately, before she can test her theory, Marcel focuses his attention on Klaus, ignoring her, and states, "We have urgent matters to discuss."

"Leave us, sweetheart, will you?"

Caroline is stubborn, that is for sure, but she also knows when she's beaten. She'll deal with Elijah if she has to. There's nothing she can do right now, unless she wants them to get more suspicious. Giving a curt nod, she flashes off in the direction of the originals' house, trying to figure out how she's supposed to deal with this setback.

She has no idea who Marcel is, but she hates him already.

She doesn't stop to consider the fact that hate is an emotion.

* * *

**TBC...**


	3. Chapter 2: Defy You

**Thanks so much to all the lovely readers out there :) I'm glad you seem to be enjoying what I'm trying to do with emotionless Caroline**

**I'm quite happy with Marcel's backstory on TO (only thing I'm happy about so far), so I'm keeping it, as well as the Davina thing, to an extent. So yeah, spoilers after all I guess**

**On another note, if they keep trying to shove this Camille/Klaus thing down our throats, I'm gonna have to give up on both shows, which is sad because I actually think that season 5 of TVD has some potential **

**Also, it seems I forgot about the disclaimer before. But does anyone actually think they're mine?**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Defy You**

_You may push me around_

_But you cannot win_

_You may throw me down_

_But I'll rise again_

_The more you say_

_The more I defy you_

_So get out of my face_

* * *

"What can I do for you, Marcel?"

The vampire doesn't answer right away. Instead, he crouches down next to the body Caroline tossed to the ground, carefully examining the marks on its neck, and it all makes sense to Klaus as he realizes what his former protégé is looking for. Marcel has made it a point to control every vampire in the Quarter and they have all been ordered to keep the urge to kill at bay. They're supposed to heal and compel so that the city doesn't suffer from a bad reputation, which would lead to a drastic drop in tourism and therefore in the amount of fresh meat available. And even if some insignificant human gets killed every once in a while, those incidents are mostly isolated. But over the past three weeks, the body count has increased, courtesy of… well, himself. Even though he knows that Rebekah and Elijah have been taking care of the trail of bodies he leaves in his wake almost every day, they cannot keep an eye on him 24/7. And even without bodies, that many disappearances are bound to attract attention sooner or later.

Since he doesn't know that he has turned off his humanity, Marcel has no reason to suspect him. He must think there's a new vampire in town, hence why he wants to talk to him now. He wants his help finding the newcomer and putting an end to him or her. The irony is not lost on Klaus.

Knowing this, it's easy to deduce what Marcel is doing right now. He's trying to see if the marks on Caroline's victim match the ones found on the others.

After a while, Marcel predictably asks, "Your little girlfriend's work?"

Klaus nods, not bothering to wonder if confirming Caroline's guilt in this instance is a good or a bad idea.

"She made quite a mess," Marcel notes.

She did indeed. She tore into the artery with all the savagery of someone who doesn't care about the damage, only wants to get to the blood as quickly as possible. Just like he's been doing. It makes it impossible to identify the vampire who committed the murder. There's no way to see how long or sharp the fangs that broke the skin were, as the only thing left of the bloke's neck is a bloody mess. But since rebels are as rare a thing amongst Marcel's crew as unknown vampires are in New Orleans, he's not going to want to consider the possibility that there is yet another, different threat in town. He's immediately going to come to the conclusion that Caroline is the one who has been killing her way around the city for the past few weeks.

When Klaus doesn't reply, Marcel stands up to face him.

"You're gonna have to rein her in."

Klaus bites back a smirk at that. He has never been able to control or manipulate Caroline even when she still had her humanity. She was always the one that managed to distract him and use his feelings against him. Now that she doesn't care about anything, least of all her victims, he really doesn't see how he's supposed to get her to bend to Marcel's will. Since he knows she's on vervain, he can't compel her. Of course, he could always lock her up until it left her system or bleed it out of her, but it seems like a lot of work for something that _Marcel_ wants.

"Not bloody likely," he says offhandedly.

"If you don't, I will," Marcel warns.

He knows what it means. The self-proclaimed king of New Orleans is not going to bother trying to convince her to obey his rules for very long and if she doesn't submit to him, he will kill her. Klaus shrugs. What does Marcel think, exactly? That he cares what happens to her? Even though he doesn't know that his emotions are off, he should know better than to assume that Klaus cares about his one night stands – for that is what he probably believes Caroline to be. In all honesty, that's exactly what she is to him right now. He wants to have her – and he will – but it doesn't go any further than that, and it's a good thing too. It's hard for him to comprehend how he could have let her get so close back in Mystic Falls. He has always said that love was a vampire's greatest weakness, and with his emotions off, he's now able to think rationally and to admit that having any kind of feelings for her was a foolish mistake. One there's no risk he's going to repeat.

"Be my guest. Though I would appreciate it if you waited until tomorrow. The taste I have had so far was nothing but an appetizer. Give me a chance to enjoy the whole meal."

"Ah, but see, at least, tonight, I know where she is. It seems _Casa Mikaelson_ has a houseguest. She'll be much harder to find if I wait."

Marcel makes a good point, but Klaus just gives another shrug.

"She's not exactly being subtle, you'll find her soon enough."

"Not good enough. I can't let her undermine my authority for any longer than she already has."

Klaus is about to reply when something in the way the other vampire holds himself gives him pause. His stance is not quite as casual as he wants him to believe. He's known Marcel for a long time and he taught him everything he knows, which means he isn't fooled by his false nonchalance. This isn't just about his rules, there's something else there.

"Why are you really interested in her?"

Marcel seems to hesitate. They have been reconnecting for over a year now, yet he knows that his former friend still doesn't trust him – with good reason. It's true he doesn't care anymore about getting this town back, but it doesn't mean he wants to make Marcel's life any easier – or anyone's for that matter. Knowing what Marcel seems to be hiding from him could come in handy at some point. Then again, it's not like anything can hurt him, so he doesn't see why he should bother with these tiresome plots.

Suddenly growing bored with the conversation, Klaus turns around, throwing one last taunt over his shoulder before walking away.

"The girl is mine until morning."

* * *

"Look what the cat dragged in."

Rolling her eyes at Rebekah's greeting, Caroline feigns a yawn as she walks past her, making it clear she's not interested in having a conversation right now. But of course, the original sister doesn't heed her warning, fingers closing around her upper arm right before Caroline is out of reach.

"Where is my brother?"

"Given the late hour, I assume Elijah is in his room."

Rebekah's grip on her arm tightens and Caroline has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from wincing in pain. Those originals are _strong_. Raising her eyes to meet the other vampire's, she lifts an eyebrow at her, waiting for the clarification that she knows is coming.

"Where is Niklaus?"

"Playing catch-up with a friend of his. Or fighting with an enemy. How the hell should I know, when none of you seem too keen on informing me?"

"You're telling me that you left Nik unsupervised somewhere in the city?"

The old Caroline would apologize for what she would perceive as a mistake. The new and improved Caroline smirks and snipes, "Yep, just like you did only a few hours ago. Seems we both suck at keeping an eye on him. Now let go of me."

"Who was he with?" Rebekah asks, blatantly ignoring her demand.

"Guy named Marcel. Burly, great smile, even greater ass," her voice trails off before her description is over as she sees the other girl's face fall and feels her grip loosen just enough that she can shake it off. "You know him."

It's not a question. Rebekah is quick in masking her reaction, but what she saw was enough. Not only does she know this vampire, he _scares_ her. And the last time she saw an original scared of something – someone – is still fresh in her mind. She doubts this Marcel is as powerful as Silas, but there has to be something that can explain Rebekah's obvious apprehension. Anything that can bring that kind of reaction out of one of the most powerful vampires in history has to be bad news.

She came to New Orleans thinking she would only have to be careful around Klaus and knowing that Elijah and his sister would protect her from him as best they could as long as they thought she could be of use to them, but now… Well, now it seems there is another threat she has be on the lookout for. Because whatever this feud between the Originals and Marcel is, she just unknowingly walked right in the middle of it. This makes her potential collateral damage – at best. Bait or incentive if Marcel figures out that the oldest and youngest Mikaelsons have an interest in keeping her alive. She has to protect herself, and the only way she knows how to do that is by gathering as much information as she can.

She knows she's not going to get anything useful out of the other blonde, so she doesn't even try. She turns on her heels, changing her direction from her room to Elijah's, following the faint sound of pages turning to find it, ignoring Rebekah's huff behind her as she completely disregards her.

She doesn't bother with knocking, pushing the door open and noting that Elijah has obviously been listening in on her conversation with his sister. He doesn't seem surprised to see her. He merely sets his book aside and motions for her to take a seat next to him on the couch he's occupying. She complies and just watches him expectantly.

After a while, he voices his thoughts.

"You have questions."

"Congratulations, Sherlock."

"Very well." He gives a small, resigned sigh, likely knowing that she won't give up until she's gotten the answers she seeks, even more likely deciding that she needs and deserves them. "We met Marcel back in 1820, when he was just a boy…"

After Elijah has been talking for what feels like hours, Caroline steals a glance at her watch, groaning when it tells her that it has only been fourteen minutes. She got the gist of it in about three minutes. As soon as the always impeccable original told her that Klaus had considered Marcel family at one point, she knew where this was headed. Betrayal and hatred. Their past must be fascinating, she's sure, but that's not what she's interested in right now.

"Look, thanks for the history lesson, but could you fast-forward to the part where they're now enemies? What is it exactly that Marcel wants from Klaus… or that Klaus wants from Marcel, whatever?"

"His kingdom," comes the answer from the doorway.

Even Elijah seems taken aback by his brother's appearance. She has got to get him to teach her how to be this stealthy.

"Sounds… grand," she comments idly with an arched eyebrow, her eyes glancing back and forth between the two originals before settling on Klaus when he speaks again from his spot, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

"I always thought that if you do something, you should not do it halfway. Why take only his life when I could rob him of everything that used to be mine?" he asks rhetorically, walking into the room and stopping once he's in front of her.

She can see he expects her to stand up and either confront him about what he just said or resume their seduction game – or was it more of a battle? Either way, she just tilts her head back to look at him, and he continues, "But as my brother well knows, I have no interest in any of Marcel's possessions or schemes now, so really, I don't see why it matters."

It matters because her life may be at risk and she's keen on keeping her head attached to her body, thank you very much. There's not much she cares about anymore, but staying alive happens to be on that rather short list.

"Call it curiosity."

"You have no emotions, sweetheart," he reminds her. "I doubt you care enough about my history with Marcel to be _curious_ about it."

"Fine. Call it gathering intel. We both know I may be in danger and I can't count on you to give a damn what happens to me, which means I have to look out for myself. I'm sure you can understand that."

"I do. I just don't see why it can't wait for a few hours."

"You know you sound like a petulant child, right?" she taunts. "Look, I want to hear the story, and I want to hear it from Elijah. We'll pick up where we left off tomorrow."

She knows she's treading on dangerous grounds with him, pushing the limits, testing his patience. Truth be told, she testing hers as well, but as it's a matter of life or death – _her_ life or death, no less – she can wait for a few more hours before she'll get to have her way with him. She needs to know everything there is to know about Marcel and his weaknesses. She sincerely hopes that their little game is still entertaining to Klaus, otherwise she's… well, dead. His eyes narrow dangerously before he relaxes and raises a challenging eyebrow at her.

"I might not be in the mood anymore tomorrow."

Recognizing the words she threw at him earlier, she smirks. He's still entertained all right. Knowing it's what he expects, she gives him the same answer he gave her.

"Oh, I have no doubt I will be able to get you back in the mood."

"We'll see."

Relenting, he turns to leave. Just as he's about to exit the room, she calls him back.

"I'll make it up to you," she says, her voice and eyes full of sinful promises.

"I'll hold you to that," he replies, equally alluring.

Once Klaus has left, Elijah gives her an appreciative nod.

"You just manipulated my brother again," he states matter-of-factly, seemingly unmindful of the fact that said brother is most likely eavesdropping on their conversation.

She did, didn't she? And she's not regretting it one bit, she thinks to herself, recalling Klaus' warning when he had her pressed against that wall in the alley. Could it be that the original hybrid is all bark and no bite?

Yeah… No.

She knows better.

Still, how interesting is it that he didn't lash out at her for delaying their little tryst? Then again, lashing out would suggest a certain amount of anger, so she supposes it makes sense that he didn't exactly react.

Shrugging, she decides to reward Elijah's comment with honesty.

"Not intentionally. I really do want to know everything you can tell me about Marcel's so-called kingdom. I saw Rebakah's reaction when I mentioned him. He's powerful. Dangerous. I can't very well deal with any of this if I don't know what the hell I'm getting into."

He opens his mouth to answer, but to both of their surprise, it's now Rebekah's voice that interrupts them, her tone unusually soft.

"She's not wrong, 'Lijah."

Caroline raises her eyes to meet the blond original's where she's standing in the doorway, a silent understanding passing between them. They still don't like or trust each other, and Caroline knows that the older vampire is not doing this to protect her. She's doing this because she thinks that Caroline is their last chance and that if something happens to her, she will never get her brother back. It's all about weighing your options, and right now, Caroline is not just her best option, she's her only one. Giving a single nod in acknowledgement of their temporary truce, the younger vampire turns back to Elijah.

"So, first things first. What did Klaus mean by kingdom?"

"Marcel fancies himself king of New Orleans. He controls every vampire in the city. He has an inner circle, a few trusted friends who have daylight rings. The nightwalkers all report to him as well. But that's not the most worrying thing of all. The problem is that he also controls the witches."

"How does one control witches?"

"He has an ally. A powerful girl named Davina. She can sense whenever one of the witches uses magic. The price to pay is death."

"Where does Klaus come in?"

Elijah and Rebekah share a look before Elijah answers.

"You are of course aware of my brother's… _connection_ to Hayley."

Caroline nods, once again noting the difference between her reaction now and how hurt she would have been at the reminder before she turned off her humanity. She knows that it was supposed to be a secret, but news travel fast in the supernatural community. A miraculous child born to a werewolf and a hybrid is not exactly something that could be kept hidden, no matter how hard they tried.

"What of it?"

"The witches used the unborn child to bargain with us. They drew Klaus in in the hope that he would side with them so long as they kept it protected, and threatened its life if he didn't help them."

Cold, but effective, the strategist in her notes.

"So Klaus came back to the city he founded, and in a bout of – what? Fatherly love? – he decided to help the witches defeat his friend?" she asks, her voice laced with skepticism.

"It was a bit more complicated than that at first, but essentially, yes. You have to understand, Miss Forbes. My brother did end up loving his son. If he hadn't, we wouldn't be in this predicament."

"What exactly happened to the kid?"

"We're not sure," Rebekah replies. "Klaus was told to meet with Sophie Devereaux, the witch who had planned the whole thing in the first place, but when he got to the crypt where she was supposed to be waiting for him, the only thing he found was my nephew's corpse with a gaping hole in his chest."

"He called me and I called the witches to see if there was anything they could do. There wasn't," Elijah concludes, his carefully constructed mask of cold calculation slipping on those last words.

This is a man who, according to what she's pieced together so far, had placed all his hopes on the little guy. He wanted them to be a family and thought that the baby was the key. And now…

"So he turned it off," Caroline says pensively. "And you have no idea who did this? But I assume you suspect Marcel."

"We did, but it doesn't really make sense. He knew Niklaus would come after him if anything happened to Lyam."

She notes that it's the first time anyone has said the boy's name in front of her. She wonders if this is because it just never came up or because it's too painful for them.

"Unless he somehow knew that it would be too much for Klaus and that he would flip the switch."

"Seems like an awfully hazardous gamble."

"True," she concedes, though she wouldn't put it past Marcel given what she knows about him – however little that may be. "The witch, then? Sophie Devereaux?" she asks, struggling with the French pronunciation. Elijah just shakes his head and Caroline narrows her eyes at him for his lack of explanation, but doesn't push it, choosing to focus on something else. "What about Hayley? What happened to her?"

"She fled after I threatened to kill her in an attempt to get a reaction out of Niklaus. She was no longer bound by the link Sophie had created between them in order to keep control over her and the baby. And oddly enough, it seems she didn't trust me anymore."

"Did you look into her?"

"For Lyam's death, you mean? No, we…"

"Actually, I did," Elijah admits before Rebekah can finish her sentence. "I didn't think she had anything to do with it, but I had to be sure. It so happens than on that night, she was with a pack of werewolves outside of town."

She's about to ask him how he can be sure of it, be she reconsiders. He's an original, all he had to do was compel the werewolves to tell him the truth. Shaking her head, Caroline pushes the mystery to the back of her mind for now. It's no concern of hers, and if Elijah and Rebekah haven't been able to solve it in three weeks despite their extensive knowledge of the politics at play here, she's not going to solve it in a few minutes when there is still so much she doesn't know.

"Okay, so what else can you tell me about Marcel?"

If either of them is surprised at her change of subject, it doesn't show. Taking a seat across from them, Rebekah shrugs.

"He's charismatic and attractive, as you know, but he's also cunning and manipulative. Can be downright cruel too. Nik taught him pretty much everything he knew when he took him under his wing, so he is a formidable enemy, as evidenced by the fact that we haven't been able to defeat him yet."

There's still something that she doesn't understand, something that doesn't make sense to her.

"Why don't you just kill him?"

"At first, it was because the witches warned us we couldn't," Elijah explains. "Now, it's because we know why they didn't want us to. Davina is too powerful and entirely devoted to Marcel, there is no telling what she would do. The entire city could be wiped off the map in the blink of an eye."

She stores the information away for later use. She doesn't care about the city, its inhabitants or the tourists, which means that she could kill Marcel if it comes down to it, and try to flee before anything apocalyptic happened. Of course, the only ones who might be able to survive Davina's wrath are the originals and they would come after her if she disobeyed their rules. She'll file that solution under last resort.

"Does Marcel know that Klaus' son is dead?"

"We don't know," Rebekah admits. "We've been trying to keep it under wrap, but we have no way of knowing if the witches or Hayley kept their mouths shut."

Caroline nods, deep in thoughts.

"Does he have any weaknesses?"

"Only one that we know of," Elijah says.

When he doesn't elaborate, she asks, "Well? What is it?"

Rebekah gives a snort, her disdain for said weakness obvious.

"Three guesses."

It doesn't take her long to connect the dots.

"A girl."

"Got it in one."

Now _that's_ interesting.

"Tell me everything you know about her."

* * *

**TBC…**


	4. Chapter 3: Sexual Thing

**For those of you who were eager for more Klaroline interaction, I hope this will do ;)**

**Again, I can't thank you all enough for the reviews and alerts, you have no idea how loud I squeal every time I get a notification email :D My neighbors hate me.**

**Just in case the rating and the title of this chapter didn't clue you in, there's some mature content coming your way. As in, right now. It's probably not the last time either, given the turn the next chapter is taking. Don't like, don't read. Like, review :)**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Sexual Thing**

_I welcome you_

_To the house of sin_

_Open your mind_

_Let the games begin_

_I'm your lust_

_I'm your greed_

_I'm every sick thought_

_That you ever done dreamed_

* * *

It's early when she jolts up in bed the next morning, a thin layer of sweat covering her from head to toe after the dream she just had. Erotic dreams are nothing new to her, but this felt different. Powerful. All-consuming. Hot. Almost _real_. Lips and fingers and teeth all over her body, bringing her to the edge and back over and over again until she was all but begging for him to let her fall over it… Only she woke up right before she did, as evidenced by her labored breathing and by the needy throbbing between her thighs. Her first instinct is to slip her hand beneath her pajama bottoms to take care of it herself – God knows she needs to reach that peak or she'll explode. But she suddenly reconsiders. She knows that after _that_ dream, and after her little make-out session with Klaus yesterday, her fingers won't be enough to satisfy her. Oh, they might bring her over the edge all right, but it would be so… _empty_. She needs to feel a body moving over her, around her, inside her. She needs to dig her nails into someone's skin, to feel the grip of two strong hands on her hips, to wrap her legs around a waist, to bite into a shoulder as she comes.

And she knows exactly where to find a willing partner, she thinks as she jumps out of bed and into the bathroom for a quick shower – it won't do to get to him already all hot and bothered, as she has no doubt this is going to turn into a power play.

As the cold water settles her still buzzing body, she reflects on her dream, still perplexed at its intensity.

It really was like nothing she's ever felt before.

It almost felt like her faceless lover was reacting to her every whimper, to her every move, to her every hint and mood. He played her like an instrument, like he controlled her, controlled everything about the dream, from her pleasure to the feeling of cool satin sheets against her skin, from the dim light to her deepest desires.

That was really quite something, and she briefly wonders if that's how it's going to be with Klaus. A complete loss of…

That's when it hits her.

Control.

_Son of a bitch._

* * *

She's standing in front of his door, waiting for him to open it, half hoping that Elijah will pass by before he has a chance to. She didn't bother putting her clothes on after she dried herself off, and Klaus' reaction to his brother seeing her naked could be interesting. She thinks the possessiveness theory is something she's not going to be able to try out with Marcel given what she now knows about the king of New Orleans, but Elijah would do.

Unfortunately – or not, depending on how you look at it – Klaus ends up opening the door for her. He gives her a quick onceover, silently confirming what he must suspect from her bare shoulders, and a smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth when he realizes why she's here. Without a word, he steps aside to let her in, turning around to face her once he's locked the door behind her. She's standing beside the bed and he joins her, still keeping a reasonable distance between them as he lets his eyes rake over her naked form. A shiver that has nothing to do with the room temperature runs through her at his thorough inspection, her body already impossibly tense just from the way he's _looking_ at her. If she didn't know any better, she'd say he plans on devouring her. Actually, she wouldn't put it past him. She takes the opportunity to watch him as well. He is naked from the waist up, leaving her free to openly admire his muscled chest and toned stomach, her gaze lingering on the necklaces dangling from his neck and on the artful tattoo on his upper arm and chest. The only item of clothing he's wearing are loose grey pants that leave just enough to the imagination. Yeah… Those are gonna have to go, fast.

Their eyes meet at last, both giving a single nod to signify they're quite satisfied with what they just saw. She can almost hear his witty 'I can work with that' before he opens his mouth, but instead, he says, "Is this you making it up to me?"

She shakes her head as she approaches him, invading his personal space. She waits to see if he's going to just grab her and throw her down on the bed, but he doesn't, clearly waiting for her to make the next move. That's more than she was hoping for when she knocked on his door and she takes advantage of it, putting her plan in action.

"That's just me getting you back in the mood. Now _that_," she adds with a smirk as she slowly sinks to her knees in front of him, keeping her eyes locked on his, "That's me making it up to you."

Without further ado, she starts licking a lazy path across his stomach, from one hip to the other, carefully avoiding the waistband of his low riding pants and the obvious bulge underneath. Her fingers hook inside the material but make no move to pull it down as her mouth keeps exploring him.

"Are you sure that's not you getting back at me?" he asks, eyes glinting with mischief as he clearly alludes to the dream he gave her.

She stops her ministrations just long enough to mutter her answer against his skin, her breath tickling his side.

"Do the two have to be mutually exclusive?"

"I guess not."

He keeps quiet after that, and she can feel his eyes on her as she continues her exploration, moaning against his skin like it's the most delicious thing she's ever had the pleasure of tasting. To be fair, it comes a close second to his blood. She can hear his breathing getting labored as she gradually heads lower, her fingers tugging at his pants, and she decides it's time to take her teasing up a notch. One quick move, and he's naked in front of her, finishing the job for her by kicking his pants aside as one of her hands settles on his thigh, the other grabbing his ass to keep him close to her. Not that it looks like he has any intention of moving away. The sight of him hard and ready sends a shot of arousal straight to her core and she briefly wonders who she's really torturing with her decision to take this slow for as long as he'll let her. There's no way she's not going to end up begging him to fuck her if she's already this turned on just from looking at him – and him looking at her.

She doesn't know what it is that affects her this much. The power he's willingly letting her have over him, his sharp intake of breath as she presses her lips against his length in a barely-there kiss, the remnants of her dream, or the mere fact that he's quite simply one of the most beautiful men she's ever seen. Or maybe it's just the anticipation – he _is_ a thousand years old after all, she certainly hopes he's learned a thing or two about sex in all this time, and she can't wait to put this experience to the test. Most likely it's a combination of all those deliciously exciting factors.

But it doesn't matter, because for now, she's supposed to be focusing on him. Looking up at him, she experimentally twirls her tongue around the head of his length and is rewarded with a brief closing of his eyes, but he quickly opens them again to watch her. It seems he's as affected by the sight of her on her knees in front of him as he is by what she's doing to him. Figures he'd be a visual kind of guy. Filing the information away for later use, she places a kiss on the inside of his thigh, hearing him hiss in frustration as she moves away from where he wants her the most. Mission accomplished, she thinks with a smirk. She got his attention. She's not sure how long he's going to let her lead this dance, so she decides to make the most of it while she can. Her lips close around the tip of his erection, her tongue tasting him once again, and she feels his fingers at the back of her head. She figures he's going to lead her movements, make her speed things up, but he just leaves his hand there, neither keeping her in place nor guiding her, and she rewards him by taking him all the way in. His fingers do tangle in her hair then, more an instinctive reaction than anything. Still, she hums her disapproval, sending a tremor through his body while his hips give an uncontrolled jerk forward. He stills almost instantly, instinctively understanding the unspoken rules she set – she's the one in charge here – and she lets it go.

She starts bobbing her head up and down, sucking as she goes, delighting in the sounds she pulls from him, her lips alternating between increasing and decreasing the pressure to keep him on his toes. She could seriously get addicted to this. His taste, the unexpected softness, his submission… She's pretty sure she's enjoying this just as much as he is.

Her hand suddenly leaves his thigh to cup his balls just as she takes him in as deep as she can and his knees almost buckle under him.

"Fuck, Caroline."

It's the only warning she gets before his grasp on her hair tightens and he abruptly pulls her up, crashing her lips to his before she has a chance to react. She briefly pouts against him – she really wanted to finish him off like this – but her protests die in her throat as he deepens the kiss while plunging two fingers deep into her heat. She cries out into his mouth, the unexpected but welcome intrusion relieving some of the pressure that's been building ever since he opened his door while managing to put her even more on edge.

She's so tightly wound up that she has no doubt he could make her come in seconds, but that's not what she wants. She needs him _now_. Gripping his wrist with as much force as she can muster, she forces him to remove his fingers. She has no illusions about her ability to overpower him, but he lets her, probably because he's as desperate to be inside her as she is to have him there. She steps backwards until she feels the back of her legs hit the bed and she lies down, pulling him down with her, spreading her legs to make room for his lower body.

And then, in one long, hard thrust, he takes her. He doesn't give her any time to adjust – not that she needs any, she's been wet and ready since she woke up. He pulls almost all the way out before slamming into her once again, and her mouth falls open in a silent, breathless moan at the overwhelming pleasure. She wraps her legs around his waist, hearing him groan as the new angle allows him to go deeper.

"Klaus. Yes."

The words are barely audible, but they seem to encourage him further. He raises himself up, gaining more leverage to speed up his rhythm, and her hands find his biceps to hold onto, nails digging into his skin like she's been dying to do for way too long. Holding himself up on one arm, he brings his other hand around to knead her breast, fingers pinching her nipple hard enough to make her hover on the edge of pain, never breaking his strides, and her back arches off the bed at the new sensation. He takes advantage of it by burying his face in her shoulder, his lips warm against her skin before he bares his human teeth and bites down hard. She doesn't even have enough sense left to wonder if he broke the skin as her orgasm washes over her unexpectedly, making her cry out in ecstasy, leaving her completely boneless as she falls back on the bed. She hears him mutter a curse as he follows her and he collapses on top of her.

As soon as they both regain their bearings, he rolls away from her, slipping out of her in the process, falling back against the mattress next to her while she's still trying to get her breathing back under control. Remembering what sent her over the edge, she quickly brings her fingers to her shoulder. Finding the flesh there intact, she turns her head to look at him.

"You didn't bite me."

"Yes, I did," he counters. "And you quite liked it if I'm not mistaken."

"You know what I mean. You didn't break the skin."

"I was not that far gone, love. If I had, you would have thought I was trying to kill you, and I didn't feel like watching you run away while I was left here high and dry."

Sounds like a reasonable explanation. She wouldn't have risked him stopping what they were doing before she got what she wanted for anything either.

"Would you have healed me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not quite done with you yet," he answers as he slips an arm under her and rolls her over to rest on top of him.

She yelps at the sudden movement, the friction between their naked chests sending a new wave of warmth throughout her body, their legs tangling together. She finds herself looking down at him as one of his hands settles on her lower back, the other pushing her hair away from her face and cupping the back of her neck so that he can bring her head down to his.

She resists the pull at the last second, letting her lips linger close to his, not quite touching, and notes matter-of-factly, "I really thought this was going to be a one time thing."

"So did I," he admits, his fingers tracing random patterns along her spine. "But then again I was not expecting us to be this compatible. You can't tell me you don't want more."

She could try to deny it, but she's pretty sure he can smell her renewed arousal. Wolf senses are creepy like that. Besides, this works in her favor. If he's still interested after he got a taste, it increases her chances of spending time with him, and with that her chances of getting through to him in some way. Plus it will keep him busy for a while, and for a few hours, they'll know he's not doing anything stupid, like killing his way around the Quarter or provoking Marcel. Really, it's an all win situation for her. She gets to have mind blowing sex while getting closer to fulfilling the deal she made with Elijah _and_ covering herself, since she's pretty sure that as long as she's with Klaus, no one will dare come after her. Yep. Perfect.

Nodding her consent, she adjusts her legs on either side of his hips so that she's now straddling him, both letting out similar groans when the change in position brings their centers close together once more. She feels him stir against her thigh and she lifts an eyebrow at him, silently conveying her question at his quick recovery.

"I told you I wasn't done with you."

With that, he attacks her lips. She braces herself on her arms, one hand on each side of his head, so that she can rub her upper body against his. A strangled sound falls from her mouth and directly into his as her nipples harden at the contact, and the pressure of his hand on her back increases, trying to bring her impossibly closer. She breaks the kiss to shift her attention to his throat, easily finding the spot that she's learned drives him crazy while her hand travels down their bodies to stroke his hardness. He bucks into her hand, and he repays her by bringing a thumb to her clit, his strokes too light for her liking. She soon finds that if she increases the pressure of her hand, he follows her lead and she grins into his mouth, torturing them both by slowing down and keeping her touch feathery.

"I wouldn't have pegged you for a tease."

"I wouldn't have pegged you for a submissive kind of guy." At his questioning look, she elaborates, "You've been letting me control this since I knocked on your door. Why?"

"Your kind of control is hard to resist, love," he growls into her skin, and she sighs in approval as she feels his tongue on the skin above her collarbone. "Besides, my turn will come. Enjoy your moment while it lasts."

She can't quite decide if this is supposed to be a threat or a promise, but either way, her body reacts. She feels him smile when he trails a finger along her dripping folds and feels the effect his words are having on her.

"Should have guessed you would react to that. I bet I could make you come just by _describing_ everything I want to do to you."

"We'll have to test that theory later," she breathes, pumping him slightly faster so as to distract him from his recent discovery.

She's actually looking forward to testing it, but not right now. The realization gives her pause. She can't remember the last time she looked forward to something. She recovers quickly however, and this time distracts herself by guiding him to her entrance.

"Gladly," he replies as he thrusts up into her, his hands grabbing her hips to keep her in place for a second.

She moans and sits up, instantly missing the sinful things that his mouth was doing to her upper body, but relishing in the new position as their hips move in perfect synchronization. True to his word, he's letting her have her moment, letting her set the pace, letting her chose the depth and force of their movements, letting her experiment with a few angles, letting her settle on the one that brings the loudest gasps to her lips.

This is less frenzied than their first time, both enjoying the slow building of their impending release rather than trying to frantically chase after it the way they did earlier. Part of it is the fact that their first time was the product of a need born out of _hours_ of foreplay. Part of it is the newfound knowledge of how incredibly good they are together. Hurrying it seems like a waste, when they can take their time exploring each other and adding to the pleasure.

After what could very well be hours, Klaus sits up, wrapping his arms around her back. She's about to protest the change, but then his mouth closes around one of her nipples and, well, who is she to deny him when it only serves to heighten every single sensation in her body? Her own arms come to rest around his shoulders, fingers sliding into his hair, groans of approval falling from her lips with every new lick and bite. Her nails scrape his scalp, which only seems to spur him on, his mouth working harder on the hard peak while his hand slides up her body to fondle her neglected breast.

And there it is, the familiar tightening in her stomach. She lets out an involuntary whimper. The arm that is still wrapped around her back tightens its hold in answer, fingers digging into her skin so hard that she's glad she doesn't have to worry about marks, and she knows he feels it to. Yet he makes no attempt at picking up their pace and she keeps rocking her hips against him in a relatively slow motion, holding on to him in anticipation.

While her first orgasm caught her off guard, this one gives her ample warning, starting with an almost painful heat at her core and gradually spreading all over her body from there, until it reaches her toes and the tip of her fingers at the same time and she freezes against Klaus, relieved when he takes over and places both hands on her hips to help her move in time with him, riding out her release as he seeks his own. It isn't long until she feels him spill himself inside her and she gives a contented sigh as she comes down from her high.

His grip on her loosens and she disentangles herself from his embrace, falling back on the mattress with an exhausted "Wow."

He nods, clearly still a little dazed himself. If she were capable of feeling anything remotely emotional, she'd be proud of herself right now.

"I couldn't have said it better."

"Only thing that could make this better is blood, but that would require moving."

Shaking his head, he looks down at her, noticing her heavy eyelids and slow breathing.

"Are you going to fall asleep on me now?"

"Probably. Why? Still not done with me?"

"Definitely not. But I seem to have worked up an appetite," he smirks. "I suggest you make the most of your nap, because I won't be long."

"Count on it," she agrees as she drapes the covers over herself, closing her eyes when her head hits the pillow.

She hears him move around for a few seconds, getting dressed, no doubt. Once the bedroom door has opened and shut behind him, she opens her eyes just long enough to make sure that he's not in the room anymore and she waits until she hears him leave the house. She has no doubt that either Elijah or Rebekah – or both – has been keeping an ear trained on this room, so she muffles another yawn and warns, "One of you better go after him, because I'm not doing any more distracting until I've had a few hours of sleep."

She hears a chuckle somewhere downstairs.

"Yes, because keeping my brother occupied sounded like such a drag," Rebekah comments drily while the front door opens and closes once more.

Seems Elijah is on Klaus Duty today.

"You know, if I cared at all, I would find it slightly disturbing that you heard all that."

"Had to make sure you weren't plotting behind our backs now, didn't we?"

"A little trust here?" she suggests half-heartedly.

"You want me to trust an emotionless baby vampire _and_ the brother who's literally stabbed me in the back more times than I can count, who also happens to be emotionless at the moment?"

Caroline reflects on that for a few seconds before conceding, "Point taken."

"Good. Now get some rest. You're gonna need it when he gets back."

"No kidding," she deadpans.

"I'm really not," Rebekah says, her tone serious. "You know what hunting does to vampires and their libido, but do you know what it does to werewolves? Better yet, what it does to hybrids?"

Now that she thinks about it, she doesn't, no. To her knowledge, Tyler has never hunted to feed, he's been drinking from blood bags from day one.

"Enlighten me."

"You're in for a rough night," is Rebekah's rather cryptic but nonetheless revealing answer.

"Is that supposed to scare me?"

"Just a friendly warning. But I think you can handle it."

"See? That sounded like trust. We're making progress."

There's a pause in the conversation, as if Rebekah is actually thinking about what she just said. Caroline is half asleep by the time the original replies at last, her voice sounding more than a little perplexed.

"I guess we are."

* * *

**TBC…**


	5. Chapter 4: Bad Things

**And more smut. Hard to keep them apart now that they've had a taste :) We're going to have to wait until next chapter before we can move on with the plot, though some foundations are laid here. **

**I don't make it a habit to use author's notes to explain my choices, but there's something I feel I need to address here since I can't reply to anons. To the guest who said that they didn't get why Klaus had to turn off his emotions and that having him act more like his season 2 persona would have made more sense. Uh… not only do I strongly believe that it makes a lot of sense for him to react this way to his child's death, his humanity switch and the others' subsequent struggle to get him to turn it back on are kind of the basis for this whole story. **

**I'm open to criticisms regarding the way I choose to deal with the plot and the characters or any mistake I may make, but if the plot in question isn't to your taste (which I can totally understand), there are dozens of amazing stories out there that deal with Humanity-On Klaus. Don't feel like you have to read this one if the very concept doesn't appeal to you.**

**That being said, while I'm having fun writing this, I realize that some of you may be getting tired of emotionless Klaroline and want them to connect on a deeper level. Unfortunately they still have a bit of a way to go before that can happen. In the meantime, I hope that the plot and little hints (and badass Caroline!) will keep you interested. Rest assured that I am a shipper at heart. I'm just a firm believer in the importance of the journey.**

**Sorry for the long A/N, just wanted to clear things up :) On with the story…**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Bad Things**

_When you came in the air went out_

_And all those shadows there filled up with doubt_

_I don't know who you think you are_

_But before the night is through_

_I wanna do bad things with you_

_I wanna do real bad things with you_

* * *

Rebekah is on the phone when Caroline joins her. The young vampire woke up a few hours ago, and she went back to her room to shower and get dressed. She then went out for a while, promising with a roll of her eyes not to bring attention to herself. When she came back, she followed the original's voice to one of the studies. She had nothing better to do and the alarm in the other blonde's voice can only mean that there is a problem. She wants to know if it has anything to do with her. With her vampire hearing, it doesn't take her long to identify Elijah's voice on the other end of the phone and she sits down across from Rebekah, noting the tension in her posture.

"_Calm down, sister. Everything is under control."_

"You should have been back hours ago! Caroline is awake. He told her he wouldn't be long."

"_So he changed his mind."_

To Caroline, it sounds like a logical explanation, Elijah's voice casual and almost bored. Rebekah however seems to have heard something else in the simple sentence, for she narrows her eyes like she can actually intimidate her brother over the phone. "You're hiding something from me." There is a sigh from Elijah, but nothing else. "What is it?"

Another sigh, followed by a reluctant answer.

"_He turned."_

"He… What?"

"_He transitioned into a werewolf. I had to lure him outside of town to try and limit the damage."_

"And by lure you mean…"

"_Fight,"_ Elijah admits at last.

Even Caroline can't help but lift an eyebrow at that. Elijah fought a werewolf _in his wolf form_ and survived? Of course, she knows that original vampires are as close to indestructible as you can get, but still, this is _Klaus_ they're talking about. He's deadly enough when he's walking on two legs.

"Are you okay?"

"_I will be fine, don't worry about me. My suit wasn't so lucky though."_

Rebekah rolls her eyes at his lame attempt at a joke. She doesn't look convinced, but she lets it go for now, choosing to focus on more urgent matters.

"Has he transitioned back yet?"

"_No."_

"That can't be good."

"_We knew there was a risk this would happen."_

"Yeah, and we couldn't think of a single solution," Rebekah snaps, clearly referring to a conversation that took place before they dragged Caroline to New Orleans. "Who knows if he'll ever want to return to his human form? The last time he transitioned…"

"_I _know_, Rebekah. I was there, you weren't."_

Obviously, Caroline is missing some family history if she wants to be able to follow their conversation. Although she seems to remember Klaus going all werewolf in the woods surrounding Mystic Falls right after he broke his curse, and if memory serves, it lasted a while, a few days at least. If this is what they are referring to, she can certainly understand their worry. As a hybrid, he can choose the amount of time he spends in his wolf form, and who knows how long that will be. He's enough of a loose cannon as a man, he has to be downright uncontrollable as a wolf. Not to mention it doesn't exactly make communication easy, which means they have no hope of talking to him or trying to reason with him, or manipulating him or whatever it is they were going to attempt next.

Maybe that's why he did it. Maybe he got tired of their plots and decided to make it impossible for them to do much of_ anything_.

Or maybe he just felt like roaming wild for a few hours.

Either way, there's not much she or Rebekah can do right now other than count on Elijah. The original sister seems to come to the same conclusion, for she hangs up, not before asking her brother to call her if anything else happens.

"This is unfortunate," Caroline says when Rebekah turns her attention to her.

The other blonde snorts, her stance both disbelieving and defeated.

"Understatement of the century."

"Is this the first time he's transitioned since he flipped the switch?"

"Yes. Until today, he had only turned once, back when he broke the curse."

Caroline just nods, trying to think of a way to fix this, but she can't. She doubts even two originals would be enough to restrain wolf-Klaus and given the circumstances, she's certainly not going to put her life on the line to help them. Her duties only extend so far.

"This is a disaster," Rebekah whines.

Caroline shrugs. It's certainly a setback for Klaus' siblings, but as far as she's concerned, those are not exactly bad news. After all, if Klaus stays in his wolf form, there is objectively nothing she can do. Elijah won't be able to pin the failure on her, and he certainly won't expect her to succeed in bringing Klaus back. She's held up her end of the bargain so far. Klaus' transition could mean that she's now free to do as she pleases without the threat of compulsion looming over her head. She knows Elijah to be an honorable man, and if he realizes that her help is now useless, he might just let her go.

Yes, the more she thinks about it, the more Klaus just never turning back seems like the best solution for her.

She probably shouldn't get her hopes up though. There is still the possibility that he just wanted to hunt for a while and will be back to his human form by tonight. Which means she has to stay on top of this situation, and now is as good a time as any to ask the question she hasn't had a chance to ask yet.

"How did you deal with him the last time he turned off his humanity?"

Rebekah looks at her like she just grew a second head.

"There _is_ no last time."

"This can't be the first time in a thousand years that…" she trails off at the original's pointed look and Caroline lets out a pensive "Oh." It seems Klaus is even stronger than she's been giving him credit for. If she had been through half of what he's been through in ten centuries… Hell, who is she kidding? She went through much less than that before she decided that she'd had enough. "What about Elijah, Kol and you? Did you ever…"

"Yes. We all went through it at some point or another."

"And how did Klaus deal with it?"

"How do you think?"

"Ah. A little nap in your coffin." At Rebekah's nod, Caroline shrugs. "Too bad we can't do the same to him."

"Indeed."

* * *

It's dark outside when they get the call from Elijah letting them know that Klaus has turned back and is on his way home. Rebekah sighs in relief and glances at Caroline who is standing next to one of Klaus' paintings, taking in the amazingly detailed landscape.

"Well… If he doesn't end up killing you, this is going to be the best sex of your life."

Yeah, that's pretty much what she was thinking.

"_Bekah!"_ comes Elijah's unusually harsh voice through the speaker.

"What?"

Her brother lets out a resigned sigh and Caroline shakes her head at the siblings' interaction.

"_Nothing. Just… Stay out of his way tonight. To be honest, I would like to give you the same advice, Miss Forbes, but…"_

The rest of his sentence, which Caroline figures would have gone something like '_but he's coming straight for you_', is drowned out by the sudden rush of air behind her and before she can even register what is happening, two hands grab her shoulders to spin her around. She feels the world move around her – too fast for her to know where she's being led – and her back hits the wall hard, a body pinning her in place as a mouth descend on hers.

This all took place in the span of a second, maybe less, which is as long as it takes her to realize that this is _not_ an attack. Well, not the kind that will end with her heart out of her body anyway.

The taste of blood invades her mouth, putting a definitive end to any kind of resistance she might have wanted to put up. She growls, suddenly remembering that she hasn't fed in almost 24 hours, and she latches on to the lips that are so generously sharing the incredible flavor with her, her tongue invading his mouth to seek more. There's human blood there, she expected as much, but she can taste animal blood as well and the predator in her can't help but react by attacking him even more brutally.

She barely registers Rebekah's part amused, part disgusted "Okaaay, I'm just gonna… Yeah. Whatever." before the hands on her waist travel lower, grasping her thighs to hoist her up. Her legs lock themselves tightly around his middle and she gasps as she feels him hard against her, his hips ramming into hers, creating a harsh friction that has her growing wetter than she's ever been in a matter of seconds, despite their layers of clothing.

Fuck. This is _hot_.

Fuck.

More.

Skin.

_Now_.

Her hands leave their spot on his shoulders to grasp at the collar of his Henley and pull hard, tearing the fabric apart. He releases his hold on her just long enough to let the remnants of his shirt fall to the ground, never breaking their kiss, before his hands find her body once again, holding onto her waist as hard as she's holding onto his shoulders.

Yes.

Better.

But…

Not enough.

She frowns, so far gone that she's unable to comprehend what more she could possibly want, when suddenly his fingers rip both her top and her bra to shreds, leaving her naked from the waist up.

_Much_ better.

Skin against skin.

_That's_ what she needed.

A grateful moan falls from her lips and she breaks the kiss, throwing her head back and arching into him in an attempt to increase the contact between their chests. For the first time since he barged in, she catches a glimpse of him, and another jolt rushes straight to her core when she sees his hybrid features. Yellow, wild eyes. Black, moving veins. Angry scowl. Only the fangs are missing, and how twisted is it that she wishes he would let go completely when she knows that it could very well kill her? His face in that moment is the darkest, most dangerous, most beautiful thing she has ever seen, and she feels her entire body start shaking with need.

"Holy…" she doesn't get a chance to finish her incoherent curse because he's now sucking on her pulse point and the only word she can remember is "Klaus."

At the sound of his name, he groans against her skin and his thrusts get harder and shit why are they still wearing _pants_?

Her feeble attempt at pushing him away so that she can slip her trembling hands between their bodies and unbuckle his belt are met with his resistance and another thrust and a noise that sounds suspiciously like a sob gets caught in her throat. If he doesn't claim her right now, she is going to have to hit him. Unless she bursts up in flames first.

"Clothes. _Off_. Now!"

She's not sure words make any kind of sense to him at this point – not that they make much sense to her either – but he seems to at least hear the desperation in her voice. He steps back, setting her back down so that she can get rid of her shoes, pants and underwear while he finishes undressing himself, his lips never leaving her body for more than one second at a time.

Once they're both naked, she tries to wrap her arms around his neck, but he catches her wrists and pins them to the wall above her one-handed, his mouth finding hers again. She whimpers into the aggressive kiss, rubbing the entire length of her body against his, desperate for any kind of friction. His muffled moans only serve to arouse her more and she tries to wrap her legs around him once more but at the exact same time, he releases her wrists and her mouth and he falls to his knees in front of her. Her knees buckle when she feels his breath between her thighs, but she doesn't think she can endure anymore foreplay. Her fingers tangle in his hair and try to bring him back up, but he slaps her hand away.

"Klaus, fuck me, _please_!"

"No," he all but snarls as his fingers dig almost painfully into her left leg, bending it at the knee and hooking it over his shoulder, completely opening her up to him. "Need to taste you."

Those are the first words he's spoken tonight, but God was he right when he said he could probably make her come with his words alone. She almost climaxes on the spot. His voice is low, gravelly, barely human, and she's suddenly very glad for his firm grip on her leg and hip, for she suspects she would collapse without it.

And then his mouth is on her and her eyes roll in the back of her head as she surrenders, hips grinding against him. She almost fears he's going to hold her back, but thankfully he doesn't, letting her seek out his warmth. His tongue darts out to lap at her folds before plunging into her, and she cries out as he devours her, his licks long and deep and slow, like he's savoring it, making it last for as long as possible. By the time he finally decides to lavish her clit with attention, she's a bumbling mess, and the feeling of his lips closing around the sensitive bud almost makes her tumble. Quick as lightning, his forearm is suddenly against her stomach, keeping her upright, his hold firm and strong and _oh fuck_, his other hand is now between her legs, two long fingers thrusting into her while his mouth is still sucking on her clit, tongue teasing her in quick little circles that are bound to drive her mad with want and need.

"Oh God. Klaus. I… I'm…"

Sensing how close she is, his fingers pump faster and she explodes. Flashes of white cloud her vision as her orgasm shatters her from head to toe, the only thing keeping her grounded the feeling of Klaus' arm against her and his tongue lapping the evidence of her climax as she slowly returns to her body.

She's about to beg him to stop because her oversensitive flesh can't take more of his relentless attention right now when he slowly disentangles her leg from him to stand up, his mouth kissing a path up her torso until he reaches her lips and kisses her hard. They both moan at the same time, her because the combination of her taste and his tongue is the single most erotic thing she's ever experienced, him because sometime during his sweet torture she bit down on her lip hard enough to draw blood and he can taste it mixing with the lingering sweetness of her ecstasy.

He breaks the kiss to bury his face in her neck, nibbling at the sensitive skin below her ear, and _God_, she didn't know it was possible to recover from an earth-shattering orgasm and to want – no not want, _need_ – more that quickly, but she does.

She has no explanation other than his uncanny ability to read her for his next action. The thought that she needs him in her has barely crossed her mind when he lifts her up and enters her in one swift move, his hard thrust pushing her back against the wall as her legs wrap themselves around him. He retreats almost instantly and pushes into her again, setting a frantic pace, his movements harsh and quick and deep and _fuck yes right there_.

He's claiming her mouth again, so she can't exactly express her less than coherent thoughts, but she doesn't need to. He angles his hips so as to hit the spot that made her tense just a second ago on every thrust and she locks her legs more firmly around him, signaling both her approval and her desperate need for more. His hands leave her hips, one arm snaking around her back to keep her in place and help her move in time with him while he braces his other hand on the wall next to her head, gaining momentum to drive into her harder. Incoherent sounds that she didn't know she was capable of making fall from her lips and she bites into his shoulder with her blunt teeth, making him buck against her before he finds his rhythm once again.

"Caroline."

The word, more like a grunt, really, sounds almost like a question but even if she had any idea what he's asking, she's not sure she would be able to answer, so she just holds onto him tighter, hoping to get her message across. _Just. Don't. Stop_.

There's that spark, and it's just out of reach, and if she could release him long enough to slip a hand between their bodies and rub herself just once she knows it would ignite, but she can't seem to let go of him even for the briefest moment and it makes her nearly howl in frustration but there's nothing she can do and…

Oh.

_Oh._

Thank God. Or Klaus. Whatever.

His hand is between them, reaching for that place where their bodies are joined. She digs her nails into his back in anticipation, knowing that she's going to need some kind of anchor because if this is anything like her last orgasm…

It's about twenty times more powerful.

As wave after wave of pleasure wash over her and her body shakes with the sheer power of it, she abruptly jerks her head back, some deeply buried survival reflex taking over in the blink of an eye. She can feel her vampire features emerging in her need to be as physically connected to him as she possibly can in this moment of pure oblivion, but she doesn't know if she's allowed to drink from him, so she removes the temptation by facing away from his too alluring veins, slicing her own tongue open in her attempts at keeping her mouth closed.

It feels like a lifetime before she's finally able to regain control of both her body and her vampire instincts. She feels weak and spineless, her skin is glistening with sweat, her arms are useless as they rest feebly on his shoulders, and her core is still throbbing with aftershocks, but her face is back to normal. And amongst all those observations, she becomes aware of him once again, how he's watching her with hungry, yellow eyes, how his arms are still holding her up against him, and how he's still inside her. Hard.

A breathless chuckle escapes her at her discovery. Her first attempt to speak ends up being an unintelligible whimper, her throat sore from all her groaning and screaming she just did, and she licks her lips and swallows before she tries again, her voice hoarse and weary.

"Seriously?" His answering smirk is sexy as hell and she shakes her head at him. "I'm gonna need a minute."

"I have all night, love," he replies as he holds her more securely against him before flashing them over to the couch, sitting them both down in the position they're still in, her arms halfway around his neck, her legs around his waist – though somewhat more loosely now that there's no risk of falling – his hands on her thighs and his rock hard cock encased in her heat.

As he leans back against the back of the couch, she leans against him, too tired to stay upright on her own. She rests her forehead on his shoulder and closes her eyes, exhausted to the point of falling asleep right where she is. Knowing that that's not an option, and amazingly enough sensing that she would regret it for as worn out as she is, she's starting to think that she might be ready to go again if he just gives her a moment to recover, she decides to engage him in conversation.

"What _was_ that? What the hell has gotten into you? Not that I'm complaining but _damn_," she emphasizes.

"_That_ was the consequence of my turning. Lingering instincts after a day spent hunting I suppose. A hybrid claiming a… sexual partner." Raising her head from its resting spot so that she can look at him, she lifts a quizzical eyebrow at him, a silent request for him to elaborate. "It's a werewolf thing. We're possessive by nature. Some wolves lock their mate away so that he or she can't leave them, some marry them, some spend their life with them, some even kill them just to make sure that no one else can have them. Apparently _my_ instinct is to sate mine until she can never even think of anybody else."

"You might have succeeded," she says because clearly, sex cannot get better than that, and there's no shame in admitting it because a) she's pretty sure that he can only agree with her on this and b) well, she has no shame left. Something else he said suddenly registers and she straightens her back. "Wait. Mate?"

He nods like he was wondering if she was going to pick up on that.

"That's not the right term. Not in this case."

"Why?"

"Because mating isn't just about the wolf and physical relief, it's an emotional connection as well. And thanks to the humanity switch, we don't have one."

Now that's a relief. She doesn't know much about werewolves – not nearly as much as she should considering that she used to date one – but she does know that they mate for life and she really doesn't want to have to deal with the consequences being his mate would bring. Especially since for them, life means eternity.

"Ah. So 'sexual partner'," she quotes. He nods. "I'm ok with that."

There's only silence for a few minutes as his fingers wander across her skin, from the nape of her neck all the way down to her knees and back up, around her stomach and between her breasts, his touch feather light, his gaze following his movements as if mesmerized. She sighs in contentment because this feels nice. Soft and relaxing. It's just enough that she can feel the desire slowly start stirring in her once more, but not so much that she feels pressured into being ready again right away, even though he's clearly just waiting for her signal.

"There's something I want to know."

"Sounds serious," he comments absently, his eyes still on the aimless patterns his fingers are tracing all over her body.

He looks so focused that she briefly wonders if he's actually drawing something, seeing the lines in his mind, but she disregards the thought in favor of a more important matter.

"Is Marcel having me followed?"

This catches his attention and his eyes travel up her body to meet hers, his hands stilling on her knees.

"Why do you ask?"

She shrugs. She was expecting it. In fact, she would find it strange if the 'king' wasn't keeping an eye on her. She's the new vampire in town after all and according to Elijah and Rebekah, he wants to control every vampire in the city. Plus she _is_ staying with the originals, which can't be a common occurrence, so he has to be curious about her. It's really not a big deal. But she wanted to ask Klaus to see what he was going to tell her.

"I went out today and those two guys came out of a car parked behind the house and started stalking me. Thought they were being stealthy, no doubt. I managed to shake them, but, you know, just wondering."

He seems to think for a moment before he nods.

"It's entirely possible. He thinks you're the one who's been snacking on tourists for the past three weeks. Told me to rein you in or he'd take care of it himself."

"You mean kill me?" she states more than she asks. At his nod, she probes, "What did you tell him?"

"To do as he pleased. Though I did ask him to wait until after I'd had my way with you. He must find it strange that you're still staying here after we've had more than enough time to have our fun."

"So basically, he considers me fair game now that you took what you wanted from me."

"Yes," he says bluntly, his fingers resuming their soft exploration.

"Then why didn't his lapdogs kill me today?"

"I'm not sure."

He's not telling her everything, but he did tell her more than she thought he would and she decides to let it go for now. Marcel is not here right now, and Klaus' hands are proving to be quite the distraction now that she's had some time to catch her breath and come down from her high. Leaning down, she lets her hands rest on his shoulders as she presses her lips to his, her kiss slow, until a slight shift in position makes him move inside her and she hums appreciatively before pulling away, nodding at his questioning look.

"Yep, all ready to go."

"Good. I don't think I would have been able to keep still much longer. Especially with you doing that thing with your tongue."

"What thing?" she asks innocently. He fixes her with a pointed stare and she gives a small shrug, leaning close once again to murmur against his lips. "Like you don't love it."

She doesn't give him a chance to respond, lifting her hips just a little and sliding back down experimentally. Before she can repeat the motion however, his hands are on her waist, keeping her in place, and she frowns at him.

"Turn around," he commands, his voice back to the low tone that she is forever going to associate with the feeling of him inside her.

Her entire body feels like it's about to go into shock at that and she welcomes it, eagerly climbing off his lap only to spin around and sit back down against him slowly, feeling him fill her from the new angle. She briefly wonders if it's possible for vampires to pass out from sensory overload. As he wraps an arm around her stomach from behind and pulls her to him so that she is resting against him, her back to his chest, she brings a hand up behind her to stroke the nape of his neck and she tilts her head back for a kiss. He obliges, capturing her mouth while his hips start moving in a slow, circular motion that has her tightening around him.

When they break the kiss, she lets her head rest back against his shoulder and lets him guide her hips as he gradually picks up his pace, every thrust just a little bit deeper than the one before until she's breathless with want and need. In this position, with his arm holding her so close, there's not much she can do but savor all the sinful things he's doing to her. She's completely at his mercy, and she finds the experience utterly thrilling.

His left hand travels up her body to cup her breast and she brings her own hand over it, their fingers entwining together to tease her nipple while his right hand slides down to where their bodies are joined, his thumb brushing lightly over her clit with each new thrust. Her breath catches in her throat at the combination of sensations and she can feel her vampire features emerging once again, which is slightly unnerving because she never loses control like that. Thankfully, given their position, this time, she doesn't have to worry about accidentally biting him, so she can just enjoy the way he's playing her body like the finest instrument.

His lips find the side of her neck and pepper it with countless small kisses, his tongue coming out to play every once in a while, and she gasps as her body grows noticeably tenser under his ministrations. It's like he's found every single erogenous zone she has and manages to stroke them all at once one way or another, making it hard to distinguish each individual sensation, until she feels like her entire body is one giant bundle of pleasure just waiting to explode. Her breaths come out in sharp, desperate pants and she can feel herself getting closer to the edge with every flick of his fingers, every touch of his lips, every lick of his tongue, every thrust of his hips.

When his right hand abruptly leaves her flesh she cries out in protest at the loss, but then his wrist is in front of her mouth, just within her reach, and she licks her lips at the clear suggestion, throwing him a sideways look to convey her silent need for confirmation. He can't see her since he's still busy showering her neck with attention, but he must sense her hesitation for he stops just long enough to tell her, "Drink. You're going to need it."

_Oh fuck._

She clenches almost painfully around him, a new wave of pleasure mixed with anticipation washing over her at his meaning, his strides never wavering, his mouth going back to its thorough worshipping of her skin.

She has never shared blood with a vampire during sex. In theory, she knows how intense it's supposed to be, but she has never experienced it firsthand. And now, to think she's about to, during what is _already_ the best sex of her life, it's, well… Overwhelming, to be honest. She's not even sure if she can physically take it, this is already too much in too short a time, but damn her if she's not dying to find out.

And so she catches his wrist in her hand and brings it closer to her mouth, flicking her tongue over the veins there before diving in. When her fangs pierce the skin, she feels him utter a curse against her neck, but she's too caught up in her own ecstasy to pay much attention to his. His blood tastes as good as she remembers it, but as the circumstances are much, much different from the last two times she drank it, she can let herself enjoy it fully. It rushes down her throat, warming her up from the inside – as if she wasn't already burning up – and intensifying everything else until she's endlessly moaning against the soft skin of his wrist, her grip tightening uncontrollably with her impending orgasm.

And just when she thinks she can't take anymore, there's a sharp pain in her neck followed by a rush of pure satisfaction as he starts drinking from her and her hips buck against him as she finally falls over the edge, her scream muffled by his wrist. It's not long before he follows her, and she almost sobs in relief as she feels the hot evidence of his release, not only because of how good it feels, but also because of what it means. As powerful and amazing and completely earth-shattering as this has been, she _would_ end up passing out if he were up for another round right away.

His breath is caressing her ear as he meticulously licks every drop of blood that escaped him until the puncture marks on her neck are completely healed and she does the same to his wrist.

She can feel him softening and she disentangles herself from his embrace, slumping down on the couch and feeling sated in more than one way. She's not sure if the fact that she hadn't fed in a while has anything to do with how good drinking his blood was or if it was all because of the sexual context, but _damn_. If this is what vampire sex is supposed to be like, she's been missing out.

"I take it this was your first blood sharing?" Klaus asks conversationally.

She opens her eyes – not that she remembers closing them – and cocks an eyebrow at him. He's leaning back against the armrest, his legs stretched out before him and crossed at the ankles, one arm resting over the back of the couch, the other draped across his stomach, his head tilted to the side as he watches her. She lets her eyes rake over his body, noting both his casual pose and the fact that he can certainly pull it off, even naked. Especially naked. Was he always this attractive? Were her negative emotions towards him really clouding her judgment _that_ much? Not that she hadn't noticed his good looks, but it was nothing compared to the way she sees him now. It might have something to do with the fact that she now knows what he can do with that body of his, she mulls over. Shaking her head, she brings her attention back to his face and notes the absence of smugness at her obvious leering. Yep, definitely emotionless. Humanity-On-Klaus would never have let her hear the end of this. Although she would have some ammunitions against him given the way he's looking at her.

"How did you know?"

"As far as I know, Tyler is the only vampire you've been involved with since you became one, and since he's actually a hybrid, one whose blood doesn't happen to be the cure for werewolf venom, I'm guessing that biting was a bit of a touchy subject."

He's sort of right. And since she doesn't want to get into the 'sort of' part of that statement right now, she doesn't correct his assumption. He _is_ right about the blood sharing anyhow.

"Yep, first time. Certainly not the last, because that was amazing."

He nods in agreement.

"Why were you fighting it?"

"I wasn't sure if you'd allow it. I've always heard it said that it's supposed to be this deep, emotional, personal connection, so…"

"It's physical, Caroline. In our state, sex and blood are the only things we care about. Mixing the two can never be a bad thing."

"Yeah, I'm getting that," she replies with a pointed look down at her body. She's damp with sweat and she couldn't move if she wanted to, he doesn't need to tell her how good blood sharing is, showing her was enough. "Anyway, I didn't know if you knew that I wasn't on vervain anymore, and feeding from you if you thought you weren't going to be able to drink my blood in return didn't seem like such a good idea."

"I smelled it, more accurately the lack of it, as soon as I touched you," he says. "Why did you stop taking it?"

"It's not that effective when you all know about it, not in the long run. Your brother has made it a point to remind me that all he will need to do if it comes down to it is bleed it out of me. If I'm going to be staying here, I'll be vulnerable to compulsion, no matter what I do. I figured I'd spare myself the unnecessary pain."

"Smart. And convenient for me," he comments before getting back to their previous discussion. "What about feeding from the same human?"

"Nope, never done that either. Blood bags only, remember? At least until a month ago. And I didn't run into any vampires in New York. Well, none I found worthy of my time that is."

"We'll have to remedy that."

"The meeting worthy vampires part?" she asks, playing dumb. "Are there any in New Orleans? Besides Marcel, I mean."

She expected some kind of reaction either at the mention of Marcel or at the high opinion of him she just expressed. She doesn't get one. Not even the slightest bit of annoyance. Damn, this is going to be hard.

"The drinking from the same human part. Quite the aphrodisiac."

"Somehow I don't think we need that," she notes.

He smirks.

"It's still enjoyable."

So she's heard. Since she has nothing to say to that, she stays silent, and after a while he gets up, stating that he's going to bed. She's almost impressed that he's regained enough strength to walk when she's just decided that she's going to spend the night on the couch. Her bedroom is too far away and her legs feel like jelly. As she admires his backside while he walks away, the imprint of his body on the couch slowly returning to its initial form catches her attention and she snorts at the reminder of their activities.

"Hey, Klaus."

"What?"

"I hope you aren't too fond of this couch, because your siblings are probably going to burn it."

A blanket hitting her in the face is his only response and she wraps it around herself, falling asleep almost instantly.

* * *

**TBC…**


End file.
